Today’s post is by Calla Gilson, 17, from Delta, Ohio. She got her start volunteering with the Migrant Ministry, a program that provides education support for migrant students and advocates on behalf of the migrant worker community. Calla inspires other young people to get involved in service as a National Youth Advisory Council member for generationOn, the youth enterprise of Points of Light. This post originally appeared on the White House’s For the Win blog.
“We are problem-solving people!” The thought returned to me again and again as I listened in amazement during several workshops with a variety of focuses at the Points of Light 2013 Conference on Volunteering and Service. Each and every workshop seemed to be merely a variation on this one, concrete theme that is the heart of every service venture. I would say it is this identity that is the service community’s greatest asset – the ability to recognize a need, and rise to not only a solution, but to work in a way that invites each person to be a part of something greater than themselves in a fashion that only giving back can truly do.
This sort of innovation is truly ingenious – an undeniable mainstay of productivity that any society should prize. And let’s face it, our world isn’t going to run out of problems soon – child hunger, education inequality, international humanitarian injustice – take your pick, there are oodles of issues ripe for the picking, and application of the dedicated hard work of people who recognize their severity is in high demand.
I had very little expectations going into the Conference on Volunteering and Service. I figured that each workshop would be a general sharing of knowledge, but in a way that was more focused on what the separate sponsor organizations had done in their years of service – plugs for individual missions and specific service campaigns. Perhaps that is why I was so blown away by the true impact of the conference.
Empowerment through shared experience and the generation of fresh ideas through presentations and collaborations equipped each attendee with the know-how and inspiration to tackle any social injustice. This was the first year of the Global Track at the conference, and I feel so honored to have taken part in celebrating this milestone!
I admire the service community for recognizing the need for international involvement and expanding its outreach to enable a greater focus. I write this blog from China, and while the focus of my visit is on language immersion, I am enjoying learning about the societal norms for service. My group will be partaking in several service projects in which I will be able to utilize the skills shared in the workshops.
While problem solving is very important, it must be fueled somehow, and there is no better way to feed this productive fire than with the kindling of enthusiasm! The enthusiasm of each individual who attended the conference was undeniably contagious.
A collective can-do attitude created such an atmosphere of support and optimism that it couldn’t be escaped! This is an essential component of the problem-solving formula. The denial of the “impossible” and the ability to embrace change continues to build up the community and nurture its growth. It is this that connects each partner organization, enterprise and business – a demand for a greater good. The Conference on Volunteering and Service wasn’t about individual goals, or trying to recruit supporters for specific campaigns. Rather, it was about coming together, for the good of the community – to engage, empower and inspire, so that together we can grow through the creation of solutions to the problems that we each recognize, and in the process, change the world.
Preserving Our World
Today’s post is by Jordyn Schara, a high school senior from Reedsburg, Wisc., who founded the Wisconsin Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program to help communities dispose of medicines safely. Jordyn, a founding member of the generationOn Service Leaders Network, is a 2010 Hasbro Community Action Hero. This post originally ran on The White House’s For the Win blog.
Our world is facing incredible environmental issues that seem to transform on a daily basis. The most important of these is climate change. We are causing the polar caps to melt and catastrophic weather to reap havoc across our world because of our production of greenhouse gases. Landfill waste and over-consumption are sometimes overlooked problems, but our waterways are choked with trash and our throw-away lifestyles are unsustainable. All of this damages our ecosystems and causes endangered species.
The environmental issue that is most dear to me is clean drinking water. Pure water is in short supply. About one out of six people does not have access to safe drinking water and 3.4 million people die each year from a water-related disease. This is unacceptable. But while some people are sitting around, wringing their hands and worrying how our government is going to fix everything, there are young people from all over the globe saving the environment, saving lives and preserving our incredible world for generations to come.
I am proud to be one of those teens and to have represented our great nation at the Volvo Adventure Award in Sweden in June and cannot wait to share my newfound knowledge with the world.
Volvo Adventure is an award program sponsored by Volvo and the United Nations Environment Program that rewards youth who have made a positive impact on the environment. This year, teams from 11 different countries participated. My team consisted of five students from Wisconsin and Illinois who all played a major role in P2D2 (Prescription Pill and Drug Disposal Program), a national movement to end improper disposal of expired and unwanted medications.
My team traveled to Göteborg, Sweden, during the first week of June to participate in the event. All of the teams were asked to create a presentation that they would then present in front of a panel of United Nations judges at the end of the week. The judges would then select the top three teams, who would be ranked in first, second and third place.
Once we were introduced to the other teams, we all had the opportunity to learn more about each other, where we come from and what environmental project we spearheaded. We did an activity in which we made a paper model of our environment, including both the positive and the negative aspects of it. We then took yarn and linked our model with all the other models that we shared a specific environmental trait with. It was amazing to see that a Midwestern town can have some of the same issues as a village in Tanzania. It truly brought us all together.
That spirit continued throughout the week as we prepared for our presentations. When the judging day finally came, we were all so relaxed around each other that we were barely nervous. The following day, a ceremony was held to congratulate everyone on all they had accomplished and to name the top three countries. We all sat quietly as the names were being called, hoping to be called onto the stage. We knew, however, that it didn’t matter who won. We had all accomplished so much in our countries.
The envelope containing the winners’ names was opened, and we were so excited to hear that we were one of the three teams called to the stage! We were awarded third place. Not only was this a huge accomplishment for P2D2, but it was also the first time a United States team has ever placed in this competition.
I left Sweden feeling empowered and knowing that I have made a difference in my environment. I now want to spread this awareness to let others know that they too have the power to affect change by voting, joining environmental clubs, participating in environmental projects, sharing their knowledge about the environment and encouraging family and friends to get involved.
Our environment is under attack and we need to look at our own impact and make government officials accountable.
Open Your Eyes to Hunger
Lance Oppenheim, a 17 year-old from Southwest Ranches, Fla., featured the winner of a literary writing contest in a video called Open Your Eyes, which asked participants to describe what child hunger means to them. Lance serves as a National Youth Advisory Council member ofgenerationOn, the global youth service enterprise of Points of Light. (This post originally ran on theWhite House’s For the Win blog.)
A family friend recently had a baby and I’m relieved that this new family has the resources to secure for the child the proper nutrients and food throughout his infancy (and beyond). But, that sense of security should not be taken for granted. Unfortunately, over 16.7 million children live in food insecure households within the United States. Food insecurity is actually an odd term, referring to the fact that these children do not have enough food necessary for a healthy life. Food insecurity is an antiseptic, nonemotional term for children who find no relief when their tummies grumble; for children who miss meals and go to bed hungry, day after day, night after night.
It is incredible to even consider that 1 in 5 children may not know from where their next meal will come. In my community of Broward County, Fla., only 31 percent of all households that are eligible for food stamps actually receive them, and 44 percent of all students who are enrolled in elementary school qualify for free or reduced lunches. A staggering 15 percent of Broward County’s children live in poverty. Nationwide that number jumps to 22 percent. The United States, a super power and model for the rest of the world, has not fully addressed the vast problem of food insecurity for children. We can and should do better.
Perhaps most disturbing is that so many of us are not even aware of the hungry families in our communities. We are the fortunate ones who choose what we eat, unaware of the great security we enjoy by making these simple food decisions. While society may have created invisible walls that obfuscate the enormity of the issues and social implications that child hunger presents, organizations and individuals across the country are stepping up to fight child hunger.
We can all do our part. As a National Youth Advisory Council member of generationOn, I sponsored a literary writing contest through my organization, the Opp-Guide to Community Service Inc., which asked participants to describe what child hunger means to them. I featured the winner of the contest in a video called Open Your Eyes. Learn about Holly’s story and then decide what you can do.
Whether it is collecting nonperishable items, planting community gardens or raising funds to donate to local food programs, it’s time to open your eyes.
Together we can put an end to food insecurity and wipe child hunger off the map.
Fourth Grader Writes: What Will You Bring to the Table?
What is childhood hunger and what does it look like? Childhood hunger is a big problem in all of our communities. More than 16 million kids in America live in households that struggle to put food on the table. That’s one in five kids who are at risk of being hungry. A hungry child might look like you or me, but he might not focus as well in school, he might get sick more often, and have trouble paying attention in class.
When I was 8 years old, the summer after first grade, I saw a man on a street corner holding a sign that said: NEED A MEAL. It made me sad inside to know that there are so many hungry people in this country and I decided to get involved in the fight against hunger in my community. Over the last couple of years I have met a lot of great people who donate their time to help those who are hungry, but the ones I admire the most are the kids who see a need and decide to become part of the solution.
When I first decided to get involved, I was worried that the food bank wouldn’t be interested in my help because of my age. Instead of telling me I was too young and to come back later when I was older, they actually listened to my big ideas and embraced them. My friends at the food bank became some of my biggest fans and supporters, teaching me about the hungry in my area and helping me find ways that I could help.
Their support inspired me to find more volunteers to help address hunger, and my group, FROGS, has now recruited hundreds of kids to help fight hunger at our events. One of my favorite things to tell people is: “No matter how tall or small you are, you can make a BIG difference!” Sometimes when I share this with people, they think I mean physical size, but really what I mean is that anyone of any age, background or skill level, can step up and get involved in making a difference. All you need is the willingness to give of yourself and your time to make a mark on something that matters to you.
So, what am I doing to help end child hunger? I partnered with generationOn to participate in the What Will You Bring to the Table? initiative. It’s a call to action for youth from across the country to address childhood hunger by gathering around tables to complete service projects that will raise awareness and help to end child hunger in the United States. My group, FROGs, has a motto: Having Fun while Helping Others. And that’s exactly what we brought to the table…FUN!
FROGs hosted an event to raise money and awareness for the hungry in our community. Because we were bringing fun to the table, we decided to host an event centered around games. We called it “Game Over! for Childhood Hunger.” We recruited businesses to donate their services and supplies, and invited elementary school age kids from all across our city to participate. We had video games, laser tag, memory games using child hunger facts and a letter-writing station where kids could write letters to government officials and let them know about the millions of kids who are hungry. I hope these letters will make our politicians care more about effects of hunger on kids and how much it impacts a child’s development.
I’m proud that my project, along with the projects of other kids and teens, helped generationOn raise over 1.5 million meals that will help fight back against child hunger. Together, we did an awesome job!
My work on hunger isn’t done and together, I think that we can do even more. So, what can YOU bring to the table to help end child hunger in your community? You can:
volunteer,
donate, and
spread awareness.
Chances are you’ll have fun while helping others! Host your own game event, a kickball tournament, or a dodge ball throw-down or something else that you love. For more project ideas and resources, go to http://www.whatwillyoubringtothetable.org/ and remember: you are never too young to make your mark on hunger.
__________________
About Will Lourcey:
Will Lourcey, founder of the nonprofit Friends Reaching Our Goals Together (FROGs), is a fourth grader at Tanglewood Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas. He enjoys writing, traveling and fighting hunger. Will was recognized as a 2012 Hasbro Community Action Hero, an award given to outstanding young service leaders, presented by Hasbro in partnership with generationOn, the global youth service enterprise of Points of Light. Will was also honored by President Obama following his designation as a Hasbro Community Action Hero, for his unquestionable dedication to making a positive impact on his community and the world through community service. Additionally, Will’s inspiring work led him to be named a CNN Young Wonder in December 2012, as part of the annual CNN Heroes awards.
Change Notes: A Presidential Library Opening Prompts Thoughts of Legacy and Service
Friends,
They get together around openings and, well, closings. That is to say, current and former presidents seem to gather only for the openings of presidential libraries and funerals.
Four former presidents together at the Points of Light Tribute in 2011.
President Obama and the four living former presidents gathered today at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus on Southern Methodist University. They showed up, I presume, as a sign of respect for the office and for their extraordinary shared experiences, and, perhaps, as a nod to their shared concerns about legacy.
“When you’ve had the honor of being president and your ambition is slaked, and most of your fights are done,” said President Clinton in 2011, “all you really want to do is make sure that by the time you leave this earth, things are a little better off than they were when you showed up.”
And so the five men who are or have been President have gone out of their way to showcase their bedrock commitment to one common belief: Volunteers are part of the answer, and service is part of who we are as Americans.
President Carter began working with Habitat for Humanity after seeing an older woman living in a tenement in New York City. “There was no water, no heat, no electricity,” he said. “She was cooking her meal on a trash fire that she built between two bricks. I realized how much Habitat could mean to a neighborhood like this.” For almost 30 years now, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter have given a week each year to build homes for those who need them.
President George H.W. Bush’s legacy will likely be built on volunteer service. In his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention, Bush spoke of America’s volunteer organizations as “a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.” Bush then went on to found Points of Light, a nonprofit that is now the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service.
As he left office, the only thing Bush asked incoming President Clinton to do was to continue support for Points of Light. “It was a remarkable thing that he would ask Bill Clinton for anything,” says Jim McGrath, who handles media relations for the Bushes. “He’s not one to ask anyone for favors or to burden anyone.”
As it turned out, it wasn’t the only thing George H.W. Bush asked of Bill Clinton. The two became an unlikely – and powerful – duo, pairing up to raise millions for hurricane and tsunami relief.
President Obama saluted Bush – and service – just a few weeks ago when he allocated $10 million in his budget for the Volunteer Generation Fund, which he named after George H.W. Bush. The fund will provide competitive grants to support the recruitment, management and training of volunteers in direct response to critical national problems.
While in office, President Clinton founded AmeriCorps, which has for 20 years now engaged hundreds of thousands of people in full-time national service. And since he’s left office, Clinton’s Global Initiative has marshaled the volunteer efforts of thousands to improve the lives of millions worldwide.
George W. Bush is enjoying a much quieter post-presidency, but next month he’ll host his third annual 100-kilometer, three-day mountain bike ride with wounded war veterans at his ranch near Crawford, Texas. And volunteer service is one of the featured values of his new Presidential Institute.
It’s too soon to say what kind of volunteer service President Obama will incorporate in his life beyond 2016, but it seems clear that he’ll follow the tradition of his predecessors: He’ll volunteer and he’ll champion volunteer service. It’s what former presidents do best.
As Bush Sr. said in his inaugural address in 1989, “The old ideas are new again because they are not old, they are timeless: duty, sacrifice, commitment, and a patriotism that finds its expression in taking part and pitching in.”
Our presidents have been the most powerful men on earth, but it is in the humble act of serving others that they demonstrate America’s greatest strength.
In service,
Michelle Nunn
CEO, Points of Light
Empowering Young Women
Today’s post is written by Rachel Ley, 15, from Stevens Point, WI. Rachel is a founding Youth Advisory Council member for generationOn, the youth service enterprise of Points of Light. She is also the founder of a program called Literacy for Little Ones, which provides newborn babies with book packages, encouraging their parents to read to them on a daily basis.
In early April, I was extremely fortunate to attend the Brazil-US International Seminar on Girl’s Empowerment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was sponsored by Partners of the Americas whose mission is to build partnerships that create opportunity, foster understanding, and solve real-life problems. Together with 79 other young women who are change-makers from Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay we spoke with government representatives about public policy regarding youth and women, participated in panels and workshops with female executives, and were encouraged to empower young women in our own communities. Although three different languages were spoken, there was no language barrier. We were able to communicate while gaining crucial leadership skills, creating lifelong friendships, and establishing incredible memories.
One of the most impactful lessons I learned from the conference was that in order to make a difference, you need to start small. I have found this to be completely true within my own volunteer work. When I first initiated Literacy for Little Ones, a program that encourages early literacy by distributing book packages to four Wisconsin hospitals, I gathered a group of my closest friends to assist me in assembling the book packages which went to one hospital in my community. Since then, I have engaged over 400 youth to volunteer with Literacy for Little Ones and over 3,800 families have benefited. The program was only able to grow once we created initial momentum, and ever since then the progress has been exponential.
In addition to attending a myriad of workshops and listening to several panels, we were able to tour parts of the incredible city. Rio de Janeiro was the perfect location, as it embodies the same change that we were talking about at the seminar. The once struggling city is now building to hold the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. It was inspiring to hear about the past of Rio de Janeiro and learn about the new developments they are implementing to create such an amazing city.
As I returned to the Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport, I felt inspired and empowered. I am confident that I will continue to make a change in my own community and engage more girls than ever before to do the same. Attending the Brazil-US International Seminar on Girl’s Empowerment was a life-changing experience that has left me ready to lead the movement of the girls in my generation.
With the help of a Hasbro Make Your Mark Week grant, Rachel expanded her program to a second Wisconsin community in 2011 and then expanded to a third in 2012 as part of generationOn’s Community Action Heroes Needed initiative. In three years, over 3,800 babies have received book packages and some 400 Central Wisconsin youth have been inspired to become involved in the effort. Rachel has garnered many awards for her commitment to service including being named a Prudential Spirit of Community State Honoree, a Kids Who Care Regional Recipient and an NEA Leader for Literacy.
Change Notes: Look for the helpers
Friends,
Last week, as so many of us tried to make sense of the terrible events in Boston, this message from the beloved children’s television host Fred Rogers began to pop up on Facebook pages, twitter posts and in the news media: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people helping.'”
This is
, and there is no better time to “look for the helpers.” From marathon volunteers who aided the injured in Boston, to those who rushed to help those who were hurt in West, Texas, to the young Operation Lorax volunteers who planted 1,000 trees following a devastating wildfire in Washington State, helpers are everywhere.
In a White House
, President Barack Obama reminds us that, “We are home to more than 300 million people who come from every background, practice every faith, and hold every point of view. But where difference could draw us apart, we are bound together by a single sacred word: citizen. Ordinary men and women have stepped forward and accomplished extraordinary things together, uniting as friends and neighbors and fellow citizens.”
At
Points of Light
this week, we will be celebrating the power of volunteer service to bring people to together.
To kickoff National Volunteer Week, Points of Light lit up a Times Square billboard with a message about volunteering, thanks to our friends at Bank of America.
Today, generationOn, Points of Light’s youth service division, is mobilizing kids and their families in the fight against child hunger through events at Arby’s restaurants in five cities. The events are part of “What will you bring to the table?” a six-week campaign raising awareness of child hunger, and 1 million meals for children in need.
And in Tysons Corner, Virginia, 200 community leaders got together to discuss how to use skills-based volunteering to help solve critical community problems. The event was hosted by A Billion+Change, Deloitte, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, George Mason University and Fairfax County Government.
On Tuesday, as part of a year-long tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and volunteerism, Points of Light and Target will host an America’s Sunday Supper in Los Angeles. This year, more than 100,000 people will take part in Sunday Suppers across the nation. I hope you’ll join the conversation online at #2013MLKDay or by hosting your own Sunday Supper.
On Wednesday, Points of Light, with support from lead sponsor ITT Exelis, will testify to the power of volunteers to help veterans, military members and their families succeed before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Find out if your city or town is using proven tools and resources to help the 1 million veterans expected to transition out of the military in the next four years.
On Thursday, Points of Light will join with USA WEEKEND and Newman’s Own to honor Make a Difference Day award winners – volunteers whose extraordinary service is making our communities and our nation stronger.
On Saturday, HandsOn Inland Empire in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., will lead 400 volunteers in a school makeover project at a local elementary school – just one of the many service projects and volunteer recognition events HandsOn Network affiliates are organizing across the nation.
Even in difficult times when we search our hearts to try to understand the marathon bombing and the loss of so many in West, Texas, we can take comfort, as Fred Rogers said, “by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
Take a moment to look for and celebrate the helpers this week and join me in extending our deepest thanks for the work volunteers do every day.
In service,
Michelle Nunn
CEO, Points of Light
What HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Advisory Board Will Bring to the Table…
Today’s guest post comes from Carly Bandt. Carly is a member of HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Advisory Board in Minneapolis. Carly and her 10 peers on the Youth Advisory Board aim to inspire meaningful volunteerism, develop youth leadership, and create innovative projects in the Twin Cities community. Through generationOn’s “What Will You Bring To The Table?” initiative, the HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Advisory Board has planned several projects to address the issue of child hunger. In the following post, Carly shares her perspective on how youth can play a critical role in tackling child hunger in their communities.
Put this into perspective: more than 1 in 5 kids in America don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Additionally, every year the number of kids who experience hunger exceeds the populations of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago combined. As you can see, hunger is a serious issue that America faces. Proper nourishment is essential for the functioning of the body and mind, and equal access to nutritious food should be an inherent right rather than a privilege. Sadly, this is not our reality. Luckily, generationOn has taken a stance to improve this situation, and you can, too, through the “What Will You Bring to the Table?” (WWYBTT) initiative!
It is so easy to take part in WWYBTT, and no matter the scope or success of your project, the feeling of accomplishment upon completion is truly rewarding. There are many different ways to join in on the fight against hunger. For example, the HandsOn Twin Cities Youth Board is putting on a Hunger Walk-a-Thon. For every lap participants walk, funds will be donated to a local food bank. In addition, we will be hosting speed volunteering stations where attendants can assemble healthy snack bags, create colorful placemats with messages promoting nutritious eating, and put together rice and bean meal packets to donate. We hope to educate and excite people to join in the fight against child hunger in America.
The HandsOn Youth Board is also planning an event to educate parents and children on ways to eat nutritiously on a budget. We will be putting on a presentation with interactive cooking demonstrations to teach children how to prepare inexpensive but nourishing meals and snacks. We hope to instill life long skills by encouraging nourishing options that are equally (or more!) delicious than empty calories.
These are only two examples of possible ways to contribute to the WWYBTT initiative, and there are so many other ways to get involved. In five seconds, you could make a post on social media to spread hunger awareness. In five minutes, you could make an announcement at your school to encourage classmates to join in on the WWYBTT campaign. In five hours, you could advocate through a letter writing campaign or phone call to your elected officials asking them to support increasing wages so low-income families have more money to spend on groceries. In five days, you could plan and organize a community garden. In five months, you could launch a Food Action Board to work towards long-term goals and initiatives with other like-minded leaders like yourself. Each one of these actions will make a positive impact in your community!
My best piece of advice to those wondering what type of project will make the most impact, be the easiest to plan, or create the most attention is to instead do something you are passionate about. Do something that excites you. Do something that will make you proud no matter how many volunteers show up or how many meals you donate. If you put your heart into what you are doing, chances are others will see that passion and want to join in.
Change Notes: An investment in volunteer service, from one President to another
Friends,
President Obama’s 2014 budget includes a small investment for those who care about volunteer service and a big tribute to the father of the modern-day volunteer movement.
Yesterday, the President not only restored funding for the Volunteer Generation Fund but he allocated $10 million for it and renamed it in honor of President George H. W. Bush.
That’s fantastic news – for two reasons.
First, it’s smart policy. The fund will provide competitive grants to support the recruitment, management and training of volunteers in direct response to critical national problems.
In past years, the Volunteer Generation Fund has seeded an array of innovative and effective volunteer programs in 19 states. In Sioux City, Iowa, for example, the Fund helped create a new volunteer center that mobilized thousands of volunteers to respond to the Missouri River flooding in 2011. And when tornadoes decimated entire communities near Tuscaloosa, Ala., the Fund helped support a 211 volunteer hotline that mobilized more than 60,000 volunteers to assist with the recovery.
With state after state anticipating cuts in social services and as the nonprofit sector plugs away on the front lines of an embattled economy, it’s critical that we find new ways to leverage the one resource that is low-cost, plentiful, effective, renewable and provides a dramatic return on investment — volunteers.
Second, it’s a well-deserved honor for one of our country’s most remarkable public servants. President Bush’s record of service to his country is well known. He enlisted in the armed forces on his 18th birthday. He flew 58 combat missions before he was shot down over the Pacific during World War II. He served as a congressman, ambassador to the United Nations, U.S. envoy to China, director of the CIA, vice president and president.
Outside of his career, President Bush has given so much of his time to causes he believes in. From his work helping to launch the United Negro College Fund on the Yale campus after World War II to his relief work with Bill Clinton in the wake of Katrina to his work raising millions for cancer research, President Bush has been an extraordinary volunteer.
While President, George H.W. Bush heralded the power of volunteers – “points of light” – to create change. Even in times of scarcity, he said in his 1989 inaugural address, we have a natural resource that continues to grow – “the goodness and courage of the American people.”
Since his term, each succeeding President has embraced the power of service and joined across party lines to encourage Americans to serve. The Presidents Club has come to be defined by their shared commitment to lifting up and mobilizing “points of light” throughout the nation.
It is totally fitting that now – if Congress stands behind President Obama – millions of people will be mobilized to do critical community work in President Bush’s name.
You can help seal this bipartisan moment and support volunteers nationwide by sending a quick email to your members of Congress. Urge them to stand behind the George H.W. Bush Volunteer Generation Fund.
In service,
Michelle Nunn
CEO, Points of Light
Change Notes: It just takes a minute to join the largest commitment of pro bono service in history
Friends,
This story doesn’t start well.
Here’s the headline from the Chronicle of Philanthropy: “Foundation Giving Won’t Rise Much this Year.”
And here’s the lead quote from Florence Davis, president of the Starr Foundation: “The global economy is unstable, the markets are irrational, Washington is paralyzed. Need I say more?”
The point is a familiar one: Companies and foundations seek to expand impact while their foundation dollars remain constant.
The solution, as is so often the case, doesn’t get much attention in the story. Beyond writing a check, what can companies and their foundations do to help nonprofits tackle the increased demands for services coupled with the stresses of reduced funding and declining government support?
They can give their time and talent.
According to True Impact, a research and consulting firm that helps organizations measure the social and business impact of their programs, the value of skilled support can be 500 percent greater than the value of traditional volunteering.
Points of Light is the proud home of A Billion + Change, a national campaign to encourage the largest commitment of pro bono service in history. In just a short time, more than 300 of America’s favorite brands have pledged to donate nearly $2 billion worth of time to tackle tough problems in their communities and around the world.
More than 300 companies are making this a better story, but our goal is 500 pledge companies by June.
Has your nonprofit received pro bono support from a business? Or does your company lend its talent and expertise to a local nonprofit? Tell us about it.
If you introduce these pro bono leaders to A Billion + Change, we’ll share a pro bono hero’s story each day on the Billion + Change blog and thank a lucky nonprofit with a free trip to Points of Light’s biggest annual event, the Conference on Volunteering and Service in Washington, D.C., June 19 – 22.
Points of Light is the proud home of